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Theatre Troupe
Macbeth
by William Shakespeare
Directed by Nicola Baylis
White Bear Theatre
22 Sept – 11 Oct 09
A review by Amrita Chatterjee for EXTRA! EXTRA!
There is something indescribably surreal about watching Macbeth, it is perhaps Shakespeare’s greatest work, full of darkness, murder and sorcery, yet so very human. Macbeth is the story of Macbeth, a general in the army of the Scottish king Duncan who, after hearing a prophecy made by three witches, goes about fulfilling his dream of becoming a king with the help of his wife Lady Macbeth. As legends go, Macbeth is considered to be a cursed play, so much so that even saying its name in a theatre guarantees bad luck and tragedy, which is why it is preferably referred to as The Scottish Play. I therefore have to applaud Nicola Baylis for choosing to work with such a difficult piece so early on in her career, but as Shakespeare himself has said, “the attempt and not the deed, confounds us.” There are many good performances in this production. As all the actors play a host of different parts, their ability to switch from one to the other in a short space of time is commendable. Matthew Jure as Macbeth has the audience rooting for him from the very start. He is not only credible but also succeeds in bringing a great amount of vulnerability to his character. Instead of the villain, we see Macbeth as a victim of fate, struggling to do the right thing but failing against his human weaknesses. Tim Pont juggles his different parts fairly well and is hilarious as the porter. Philip Scutt makes a good Macduff but his short performance as the young Macduff is more affecting. Paul Sugars also does justice to Banquo and is quite funny as the doctor. But the surprise of the evening is perhaps Abigail Parmenter. Her sheer charm and exuberance breathes life into any character she plays. She leaves the audience wanting to see more of her as a performer. As to Lady Macbeth played by Nicola Baylis herself, there is much left wanting. It is understandable that being the director and the actor at the same time is not an easy task; therefore one must carefully consider one’s objectivity before attempting to do so. Her performance does not evoke any of the vileness and sheer ambition that drives Lady Macbeth and curiously comes across as rather awkward and comical. Instead of being the pivotal character and the driving force behind Macbeth’s actions, she is painfully reduced to a caricature. Even her direction feels a bit shaky, as though she is still trying to find her balance and distinctive voice. Which is why perhaps, the production as a whole fails to recreate the sense of doom, remorse and supernatural energy that is the heart of Macbeth. Though interestingly the short snippets of physical theatre are very well done and it’s a pity that they are relegated to mere interludes and backdrops. It would have been more exciting to see the actors experiment with them further. The use of puppets and masks for the witches, though visually appealing, also seems a bit superfluous. No effort is made to develop them as characters in their own right. The minimalist stage design would have worked much better if the entire play had been predominantly physical, but since it isn’t, it just looks like it didn’t have any planned structure to begin with. The light and sound design is appropriate and helps to create the right mood for the scenes. I especially liked the costume design and the entire black and white theme with spots of red forming the much desired focal points. The whole actors sitting among the audience concept also works well and helps to draw everyone into the action. Overall in spite of some shortcomings, Macbeth is definitely a brave effort. It has the potential to be more original and engaging, but at the moment it lacks a unique voice and an aesthetically cohesive performance space.
Box office no: 02077939193 White Bear Theatre Club
2hrs 10 mins approx
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ry Couzens